Sow management in 2022 and beyond

A driving force for any sow operation is to ensure continued profitability and performance. Producers will face increasing challenges and opportunities from several areas as the next few years unfold.

Attracting and retaining quality employees will continue to be a concern. Labor has always been a struggle in agriculture, but the situation has become critical on many sow operations.

Spending time reviewing daily farm operations to see when and where they can be more efficient has become common for Fred Kuhr, production supervisor for sows and finishing with Dykhuis Farms, located in Hamilton, Michigan. The 17,000-sow operation has 70 full-time employees.

"We've been fortunate that we've been able to keep good employees," Kuhr says. "But I spend a lot of time trying to figure out how I can adjust processes on the farm so they will take less labor without overworking my employees."

Mark Knauer, associate professor and Extension swine specialist at North Carolina State University, says producers should revisit all aspects of the farm for increased efficiencies in light of labor shortages. "There are probably things being done on the farm now that may not be giving us the payback we think, or could be modified to be done more efficiently," he says.

Data Rich, Data Analysis Poor

Producers can benefit from the analysis of the data that is currently being collected. "Right now the pork industry, in general, is data rich and data analysis poor. There is a tremendous amount of data being collected in every area of production," Knauer says, "and while there is software available now that can help analyze that data, I don't think the data is being used as much as it could be."

Knauer says tools to analyze existing data will continue to improve, providing real-time production insights that can help producers make more informed management decisions.

Employees will play a valuable role in the implementation of these data-driven decisions. "The demographics of employees are changing," says Sergio Canavate, technical services manager with PIC. "Young millennials are coming to the workforce who have been born with a cell phone in their hand. They are comfortable with technology and know how to use it. So instead of them working out of a notebook, they are working with an iPad and can review data in an instant. It's up to us in the industry to understand their education level and how we can use their skill set."

Manage Challenges

In addition to labor issues, market challenges must be managed. "Feed ingredients stand for one-third of weaned pig production cost," Canavate says. "We need to prioritize management practices to focus on maximized performance and optimized cost of production and profitability."

That will include keeping a close eye on body condition management. "We need to ensure we're feeding in the most efficient way, because overfeeding has a direct impact on our reproductive efficiency," Canavate says. "In the breeding department, it is imperative to achieve breeding targets, but we must take care of the females bred in the herd."

Canavate says gilt management is key. "We need to watch our gilt selection carefully, and look for growth, leg structure, soundness, and health of the animal," he says. "At the end of the day, the gilts you select are the future of your farm, so keep pushing for gilts that will have longevity and profitability."

Producers also need to be aware of animal welfare initiatives and how they might impact their operation. California's Proposition 12 has garnered a lot of attention, but it's not the first animal welfare initiative that's been pushed, and it likely won't be the last. "These proposals are definitely a part of the agricultural landscape," Canavate says. "It's important to be aware of these issues and how they could impact your operation."

Biosecurity is more critical today than ever before. "We have seen great care taken when it comes to African swine fever on the country level," Canavate says. "But on the farm level we need to make sure that our measures are equally as stringent. That includes measures for feed ingredients, employees, transportation, and suppliers — every single level on the farm."

Remember the Basics

Much of the time, however, successful management comes down to the basics. With management sometimes stretched thin and timelines tight, overlooking even small details can impact the bottom line.

"There are the basics like getting sows bred and ensuring adequate food and water," Knauer says. "But it's also making sure you aren't wasting feed. I recently worked with a farm where they were hand feeding and their lactation feed intakes were abnormally high. After reviewing the information and the data, we determined that they were putting too much feed in the feeders, it would spoil, and they ended up throwing it out. It was a simple matter of troubleshooting, looking at the data, and inspecting the operation."

Even the most efficient operations can benefit from a self-audit. "Working with another producer, we noticed that the water was being placed too close to the lactation feeder, resulting in the sows getting a lot of water in the feed. That meant that employees then had to scrape the feed out, which was costing them in labor," Knauer says.

"We moved the waterers, which did not cost much. That little bit of movement meant less labor in scraping the feeders and reduced feed waste," he says. "Sometimes it's just the little things. But that came about after looking at the feed data and then taking a closer look at the barns."